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A woman is suing the Chinese Education Ministry over homosexuality being called a psychological diso
Qiu Bai, a lesbian woman, is suing the Chine Education Ministry over textbooks that continue to class homosexuality as a psychological disorder.
Qiu had taken her case to the First Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing to begin a process she tried to start back in 2015. Her case however was ignored in 2015, being advised to go through a complaint system which again fell on deaf ears.
A further attempt to sue the education department was thrown out on the grounds that the ministry ignoring her claim was not an infringement of her rights. A final attempt made it through the People’s Court.
Whilst studying at the Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou in 2014, Qiu first noticed the textbook referring to homosexuality as a mental disorder, regardless of being removed from the official disorder list in 2001 and being decriminalized in 19997.
“Textbooks should at least describe homosexuality with objectivity.” Qiu Bai said. “I don’t want discrimination permeating the school I live in and the materials I use every day.”
In 2014, a man successfully sued a mental health clinic which administered electric shocks in a bid to “cure” his homosexuality. Gay conversion therapy is now widely considered to be bogus science.
